Tag: construction licence

Inditex Obtains Licence to Build a new Textile Design Building in Sabón

28 February 2019 – La Opinión A Coruña

The Local Government in Arteixo has granted a construction licence to Inditex to erect a new building at its headquarters, on the Sabón industrial estate, which will be used for textile design activity. The plot on which the new structure will be situated is located on the corner of Avenida de la Diputación with A Ponte (opposite the entrance to the ITV). The plans presented by the company to the municipality to obtain the municipal authorisation reflects that the construction work will cost €31.5 million.

The multi-national company will use this new space for “textile design activity”, according to the construction licence. The height of the new building will be 24 metres and it will sit on a plot measuring 54,300 m2. The authorisation granted by the municipality indicates that the deadline for starting the construction work is six months and for its completion is three years (…).

Original story: La Opinión A Coruña (by Iván Aguiar)

Translation: Carmel Drake

A Judge Orders the Demolition of 52 Villas in O Grove (Galicia)

8 November 2018 – Inmodiario

Administrative Court number 1 of Pontevedra has confirmed the demolition order for 52 homes in the Raeiros urbanisation, located in San Vicente do Mar (O Grove), as well as of the roads and large movements of earth undertaken in the area, classified as non-buildable land with special coastal protection. An appeal against the ruling may be filed with the TSXG (the Superior Court of Justice of Galicia).

In the ruling, the judge dismissed the appeal presented by one of the owners against the resolution adopted in October 2017 by the Agency for the Protection of Legal Urban Planning (APLU), which requires the owners of the 52 villas to comply with a demolition order dated 2014.

The demolition was decreed by the Xunta for the first time in 2010. The Administrative Court also imposed the payment of the costs on the claimant.

The ruling explains that the legislation prohibits the residential use of that type of land, a woodland area that overlooks the Balea-Raeiros beach.

In 1993, the owner obtained a licence to build an aparthotel for tourist use on the site, but, according to the judgement, constructed 52 terraced villas for residential use and sold them to different owners.

In 2007, the Xunta required them to implement hotel use and to dissolve the parcelation by joining together all of the houses into a single asset, but that order was ignored.

In 2010, the APLU ordered the demolition and ordered it again in 2014. The Administrative Court number 1 of Pontevedra confirms in its ruling that most recent demolition order.

“The construction licence was linked to the activity. Without the hotel use (without parcelation) everything that has been constructed lacks sense”, said the judge in the ruling, in which he also pointed to the possibility that the hotel licence granted in 1993 may have expired.

Original story: Inmodiario

Translation: Carmel Drake

Town Hall of Málaga Authorises Four Buildings for Tourist Apartments

16 October 2018 – Diario Sur

The boom in projects to build new tourist apartments in the Málagan capital continues apace. That is reflected in the list of activities that received building permits from the Municipal Urban Planning Department during the months of July, August and September, which will be submitted to the governing board of that Town Hall body tomorrow. The projects include four properties for tourist apartments, of which two involve the adaptation of existing buildings, and the other two the construction of new properties on separate plots, located in the Trinidad neighbourhood.

One of the authorised projects involves the construction of a building for 49 tourist apartments, 26 parking spaces and a swimming pool on the plot located at numbers 7, 8 and 9 Avenida de Fátima, located right next to the parish of the same name. It is being promoted by the company Pinar Concept. Similarly, around 200 m from that site, also in the Trinidad area, the Town Hall has granted a construction licence for another tourist apartment building, to be promoted by Inmoplan Promociones, which will be constructed on the plot at numbers 5 and 6, Plaza de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, next to c/Don Juan de Austria.

The other two approved initiatives involve the conversion into tourist apartments of two residential-use buildings located at number 52 Calle Mariano de Cavia, in the Pedregalejo area, on the one hand, and at number 2 Calle Barroso, next to Calle Córdoba, on the other. As this newspaper already reported (refer to SUR18/9/2018), behind this latest activity in the Soho area is the chain Hotusa, which is planning to develop a project involving 42 tourist apartments through the company Tandem Apartments.

Student halls

On the other hand, on another plot of land in Trinidad, located at numbers 8 and 10 Calle Carril, the Urban Planning Department has approved the construction of a hall of residence for students promoted by the company specialising in internships for overseas students, Euromind Projects.

In addition, the Urban Planning Department plans to approve tomorrow the start of the procedure to declare the expiration of the permit that was granted in 2008 for the construction of an industrial, office and parking lot building at number 303 Avenida de Velázquez, next to the headquarters of Canal Sur. That project was started but only the structure was completed. In a letter to Aena in July, it was stated that in 2009, the obligations of the airport were modified and so currently its height represents “an obstacle” for manoeuvres for the approach and take off of planes from the runway.

Original story: Diario Sur (by Jesús Hinojosa)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Civisa’s Owner Buys 3 Buildings in Central Valencia to Convert into a Hotel

16 April 2018 – Eje Prime

Civisa doesn’t want to miss out on a business opportunity in the real estate sector in Valencia. The Mediterranean capital is one of the markets that is booming the most in the country, and so the new and, above all, the old players, in the local real estate sector, are bidding hard to undertake new projects. Such is the case of the driving force behind Civisa, Andrés Ballester, who has purchased three adjoining buildings in the centre of Valencia to convert into a new hotel.

The residential blocks are located at numbers 28, 30 and 32 Calle del Mar, very close to Plaza de los Patos and Plaza de la Reina. In this enclave, Ballester has acquired three properties with a combined surface area of almost 370 m2, which will allow it to construct a significant number of rooms, according to reports from Valencia Plaza.

The founder of Civisa has already requested a construction licence from the Town Hall for his hotel project. The measures that the businessman will have to take into account include respecting the façade of the central building, which has a commercial space on the ground floor, and the respecting the height of the property following the renovation, given that it may not exceed the limit for the area.

This new hotel in the centre of Valencia is not the only real estate project in which Ballester has been immersed in recent times. Recently, the businessman participated in another operation through which Inditex is going to open its first Zara megastore in Valencia. It is going to be located on Boulevard Austria and is being renovated in its entirety by the multinational textile company.

Original story: Eje Prime 

Translation: Carmel Drake

Viqueira Buys Plot in Vigo on which to Build 130 Homes

20 March 2018 – Inmodiario

Viqueira has recently acquired a plot for the construction of 130 homes in PERI IV-09, known as “Baixada de San Roque”. The surface area of the plot measures 1,508 m2 and a 10-storey tower, comprising 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom homes, is going to be built on the site.

Specifically, the plot is located on Rúa Morcego, in a new urbanisation that has been completed and approved by the Town Hall, and which has green space alongside it.

This new acquisition by the company forms part of its strategic plan for 2015-2020 through which Viqueira is planning a number of investments in Galicia and the Canary Islands, and which represents the start of the most important residential real estate project in Vigo.

It is not the first time that Viqueira has carried out a residential project in the San Roque area, in fact, the Vigo-based construction company has built more than 400 homes in the region, the most recent and iconic of which was the “Plaza de las Palmeras” project, undertaken by the company in the 1990s.

The company is already working on the building plans and hopes to be in possession of the construction licence by the end of the summer when it expects to start marketing the development (…).

Original story: Inmodiario

Translation: Carmel Drake

Spring Hotels Buys 62,000 m2 of Land in Tenerife for €85M

10 January 2018 – Eje Prime

The Spring Group now owns four hotels in Tenerife. The Canarian company, based in the tourist town of Arona, has invested €85 million in the purchase of 62,000 m2 of land its home municipality, where it is going to build a 525-room hotel.

The establishment will be located in the El Mojón area, in Los Cristianos, and will allow the chain to increase its offer on the island, where it already owns three other assets: Arona Grand Hotel, Vulcano and Bitácora.

The island group hopes to obtain the construction licence within the next few months in order to start work on the construction of the hotel as soon as possible. This new land purchase forms part of the investment plan that the company has underway. It has already spent €30 million on the complete renovation of its other establishments.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

Valdebebas Takes First Steps to Unblock its Construction Licences

24 November 2017 – Expansión 

On 30 November, the Valdebebas Compensation Board (Madrid) is going to approve the largest land reparcelling project in history, which will involve the processing of 15,000 registry notifications. That will allow the unblocking of the licence granting procedure, which is affecting almost 4,700 homes, around 40% of the total planned for the area.

In total, 11,400 homes are planned for Valdebebas. Currently, 4,800 units have received their first occupancy licences and another 2,000 are being built. Moreover, 850 homes are under development and 3,800 are pending development. These two last categories are affected by the block imposed. More than 16,000 people already live in Valdebebas and by the end of the year, there will be around 18,000.

“We want to comply with the route map set out by the Town Hall. The mere beginning of this process should give rise to the lifting of the suspension over the granting of licences”, explained the Managing Director of the Board, Marcos Sánchez, to Expansión.

With the economic reparcelling, the pending urban planning charge, which amounts to €30 million, is redistributed. The previous reparcelling, approved in 2015, was annulled by the High Court of Justice (TSJM). It also ruled that the special plan for the so-called ‘Pastilla Comercial’ was void.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

 

Sevilla’s Chamber of Commerce Completes Sale of 2 Plots to Helena Rivero

2 November 2017 – ABC de Sevilla

This week, according to sources consulted by ABC, Sevilla’s Chamber of Commerce has sold two plots of land next to the Antares Club and on the Eusa campus to the family of the Jerez businessman Joaquín Rivero, who died in September 2016. The operation was agreed in November 2016 but was subject to the obtaining of municipal licences for the various projects. On the Eusa land, Helena Rivero’s investor group plans to build a university hall of residence for 400 students. Next to Antares, Helena Rivero is still deciding what to do with the 1,700 m2 plot, which has permission for the construction of a hotel given that it has been allocated for tertiary use.

In this way, the Chamber of Commerce, chaired by Francisco Herrero, will obtain a sizeable liquidity injection thanks to an operation that was closed for around €7.5 million. The negotiations for the sale of these plots were initiated by Joaquín Rivero Valcarce, the real estate businessman who chaired Bami. Following the death of the businessman in 2016, his only daughter, Helena, decided to push ahead with the operation.

Nevertheless, the sale of the two plots in question was subject to the Town Hall of Sevilla granting the necessary authorisations to build on the Eusa and Antares plots. Once municipal authorisation had been obtained to build a university hall of residence on Eusa’s plot, which has been allocated for social/educational use, the sale of the land was closed this week, according to the same sources. The sale had previously received the green light from the plenary of the Chamber of Commerce and the Junta de Andalucía, which oversees the region’s chambers of commerce.

A multi-national firm will operate the hall of residence

In terms of the university residence planned for Eusa, the plot sold to Helena Rivero’s investor group has a surface area of 2,200 m2 and permission to build up to 11,000 m2. According to sources consulted by ABC, a leading European multi-national in the hall of residence sector, which is listed on the stock market, will take over the operation of the building.

The other plot, measuring 1,700 m2 has been allocated for tertiary use – it is currently home to the exhibition hall, auditorium and parking lot of the Antares sports centre. On that plot, the company managed by the Rivero family may be able to build a hotel with a maximum buildable area of 6,000 m2, equivalent to around 100 rooms.

The hotel was promoted initially by Antares and it was precisely that project that led the company to file for creditors’ bankruptcy when the real estate bubble burst and it was unable to refinance a mortgage loan that it had requested from La Caixa in 2008 to build a four-star establishment in El Porvenir. Antares Andalucía had managed to reclassify the 1,740m2 plot, and so it was valued at €10.2 million in 2007.

In the end, the mercantile judge authorised the sale of the assets of the Antares Club, with their charges and levies, as well as of the brands “Antares Andalucía” and “Encuentros 2000”, to the Chamber of Commerce – through Eusa. The Chamber spent €4 million on the operation, including taking on a €3.2 million mortgage with CaixaBank.

With this sale of the two plots, the Chamber of Commerce will now have sufficient revenues to undertake projects in its two business units: Eusa and the Antares Club. The Chamber of Commerce plans to completely renovate the Antares Club, given that it is more than 30 years ago, and move its training activities to the SGAE building in La Cartuja. That building has a surface area of 35,000 m2, including an auditorium measuring 22,000 m2.

Original story: ABC de Sevilla (by M. J. Pereira)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Approval Granted For Sonae & MacArthurGlen’s Outlet Complex In Málaga

22 May 2017 – Eje Prime

The green light has been given for the creation of the Designer Outlet Center.

Sonae Sierra and MacArthurGlen have obtained a construction licence from the Town Hall of Málaga to build an outlet complex for fashion and accessories brands, next to the Plaza Mayor shopping centre.

The project, born out of a joint venture (Doc Málaga Siteco) between the Portuguese retail group and the British property developer, involves extending the shopping centre in Málaga by 85,198 m2, demolishing the existing night-time leisure areas and creating the Designer Outlet Center space.

To start the expansion works, Doc Málaga Siteco must pay an extra €2.5 million to the Town Hall for the completion of infrastructure work in the surrounding area. The renovated Plaza Mayor will have 107 stores in total, doubling the number of existing stores. It is expected to attract 2.4 million visitors per year.

McArthurGlen, which manages 22 retail complexes in Europe and Canada, closed 2015 with comparable sales €4,000 million, up by 10% compared to the same period a year earlier.

Sonae, meanwhile, owns a network of 250 stores in Portugal and launched thirteen Sport Zone shops and five Salsa outlets in Spain last year. The Sports&Fashion division, which includes the Salsa, MO, Sport Zone and Losan brands, amongst others, increased its turnover by 11.2% in 2016, to €1,439 million.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

French Guru To Build Giant Shopping Centre In Torrejón

25 April 2017 – El Confidencial

After four years of negotiations, the French multinational Compagnie de Phalsbourg has received the definitive green light to launch its first project in Spain. And it’s going to be a giant, with a gross leasable area of more than 100,000 m2, which promises to revolutionise the nature of shopping centres in the country.

The project will comprise an Open Sky complex and The Village outlet, two concepts that the French group has decided to combine in the same space for the first time in their history. Last week, the Town Hall of Torrejón de Ardoz granted the construction licence for the former, which had already received its urbanisation permit and, just three weeks ago, ING sold the French company the adjoining plot for the development of the outlet.

With these two milestones under its belt, Compagnie de Phalsbourg has put its foot down on the accelerator to begin construction of Open Sky next month and has already started marketing The Village. The aim of these two parallel lines of action is to inaugurate the complex in time for Christmas 2018 and to bring a new shopping centre concept to Spain, with the architecture taking on a starring role, including vast green spaces and water games.

The project presents a real challenge for this area in the northeast of Madrid, which just a few weeks ago saw the rejection of another major investment that had planned for this area, Cordish’s new Eurovegas, by the President of the Community, Cristina Cifuentes. The French group’s project, on the other hand, has already received the blessing of the local administration, which will allows it to enter and compete at the height of a period of transformation in the sector, following changes of ownership and the relaunch of Plenilunio, Cuadernillos and Alcalá Magna, as well as the upcoming sale of Parque Corredor.

The new Open Sky, designed by the architect Gianni Ranaulo, will be an outdoor shopping centre, with a gross leasable area (GLA) of 80,000 m2, containing 100 stores and 3,500 parking spaces, where numerous fashion houses will sell their wares along a walkway measuring more than 1.5 km The site will also have a navigable central lake, where light and water games will be held.

New giant

50% of the retail space has already been leased to firms such as Merkal, Adidas, Reebok, Soloptical, Kiwoko, Orchestra, Druni and Movistar, and an agreement with the Inditex giant is pending confirmation. (…).

Meanwhile, The Village, an outlet designed in the style of a villa by Philippe Starck, will cover a surface area of 22,000 m2 and will house 120 stores and restaurants, and 1,500 parking spaces. (…).

With these two developments, in which Compagnie de Phalsbourg plans to invest more than €100 million, the French group is beginning its expansion plan in Spain, where it plans to spend more than €500 million launching around half a dozen new projects over the next few years.

Founded in 1989 by Philippe Journo, the French group owns assets amounting to €1,240 million, as well as shopping centres (in operation) covering 600,000 m2, and shopping centres under construction covering 350,000 m2 in France. With rental income of €72 million per year, the company focuses its activity on the development, management and sale of both shopping centres and residential complexes (…).

Original story: El Confidencial

Translation: Carmel Drake